Fuchsia Dunlopis a British expert on Sichuan cuisine. The Cambridge graduate is a fluent Mandarin speaker. She studied at a Chinese university in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. [1]

That experience led Dunlop to a lifelong fascination with Chinese cuisine and culture. She has written several classic Chinese cookbooks. [2]

Dunlop’s focus is the cooking of the Chuan (Sichuan) area. She also has written a book on the cuisine of the Xiang (Hunan) region. [3]

Dunlop lives in London,a nd has been a consultant to that city’s first authentic Sichuan restaurant. In addition to books, she writes for Saveur,Gourmet, and the Financial Times. ;3,4,5]

Dunlop has written about how, as a student in Chengdu, she improvised Christmas mincemeat pies using local Chinese ingredients. They turned ut to be “the best mince pies I’d ever made.” [7]

Jiaozi with Mincemeat: In England, Dunlop went on to provide recipes for Christmas with a Sichuan taste. Her dumplings or jiaozi made with mincemeat are a reflection of what she made in her dormitory in China.

Dunlop has even published a menu for a Boxing Day meal with recipes for Christmasleftovers with a Chinese flair.

Dunlop has written a lot about the Sichuan concept of ma la, which she calls “numbing and lot.” She has also described how to use other classic Sichuan flavors:

Suan la — sour and hot

Guai wei — strange flavor [8]

Dunlop says, “Opponents of …Fusion cooking are so wrong….Culinary impressions leave traces, like DNA.” Her work has been pivotal in communicating the essence of the Chinese approach to food. Dunlop’s writings are the very essence of the Fusion approach in cooking, and make her a Master Chef of the Pacific Rim.

Dunlop’s writings are a valuable chart through a complex ocean of flavors and preparations.

Dunlop has her own blog devoted to Asian cuisine at http://www.fuchsiadunlop.com.

Addiction: In a recent interview in the New York Times, Dunlop chonfessed to an addictionto fermented bean curd, for its special salty umami and comparing it to cheeses like Roquefort.